There's a lot of pressure for wedding industry brides when it comes time to plan their own wedding, but with an incredible team of talented vendor friends, it's easy to exceed expectations. Just ask Emily of Borrow and Beau, who went to Oh! Such Style Events with three things certain: her dress, the venue, and her bridesmaid’s dresses. Oh, and that she wanted to flyJulie Paisley Photography from Nashville to New Zealand to capture it all. The rest came together and resulted in this stunning day!

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From Julie Paisley Photography... I met Emily 3 years ago when I traveled to New Zealand after shooting a wedding in Australia. I teamed up with a local wedding planner for a styled shoot and Emily provided the rentals. She told me after the shoot that when she got married, she was going to contact me and guess, what, she kept her word! When I received the email from her telling me she was engaged and wanted to hire me to come from Nashville, TN to shoot her wedding in New Zealand, I might have squealed a little! I'm pretty sure I was still pinching myself as I boarded the plane to head to the wedding. The wedding was everything I had dreamed it would be. We had perfect weather, we were welcomed by Emily and Ben's family and friends and I was asked repeatedly to talk so they could hear my "southern accent!" I love Emily's color scheme of blue with pops of red and gold and the napkin fold with the little greenery tucked in just made it perfect. From the cute little chapel, to the antique car and cutest ring bearer ever, I think you will find so much inspiration all the way from New Zealand.

From the Oh! Such Style Events... I can honestly say that Emily and Ben’s wedding was one of my absolute favorites. Working with them to bring it all together and create their perfect day was such a pleasure. Fortunately for me, I knew Emily prior to her and Ben getting engaged as we had worked on several photo shoots together. This really helped make the styling process smooth and cohesive as I already had a lot of insight into who she was and her tastes and preferences in general.

Our first meeting to discuss the wedding ended with three things we knew for certain – her dress, the venue, and her bridesmaid’s dresses. Then – and here’s the fun part – she said she trusted me to make it all work from there!

A gorgeously restored homestead (Abbeville Estate in Auckland) was the venue. Because of it’s stunning décor and features we used that as a starting point for the look and feel of the wedding. We were able to incorporate Emily and Ben’s personal style and showcase it against the vintage, farm style backdrop of the homestead. As they live on a farm, it seemed very fitting and organic to reference those elements in the wedding design.

The estate has a little chapel on site, which was absolutely gorgeous, like something from a picture book. Emily and Ben held their ceremony here, where the focal point was a lovely old stained glass window behind the altar with light softly filtering through. From the moment I saw that window, I knew we had to have florals around it. The bridal party was also quite large, particularly for such a small space, so we had to limit how much was at the front of the chapel and prevent it from getting crowded. Florals sort of festooning the window was the perfect touch, and as you can see, it worked perfectly.

One of the most “Wow” moments of the ceremony was when the couple’s little dachshund, Cooper, was led down the aisle as a ring-bearer. He was utterly perfect with his tiny floral collar and calm, gentle demeanour, and I have to say that for a little while, he completely stole the show.

For the wedding stationery, Just My Type created these tactile, organic feeling invitations from thick, softly torn hand-made paper that felt amazing in the hand, and was the first hint of the textures that we emphasised through the wedding itself.

Our guiding principle for the theme was “Effortlessly florally elegant”, which provided for the glorious blooms from Lux Floral Studio to take centre stage. We really placed a lot of focus on florals, which helped to lift the heavier aspects of the homestead décor, such as the solid wooden beams, and give a touch of femininity. Emily loved the idea of deep berry and red throughout the florals. To layer textures, we paired pale blue natural linens with loads of soft candlelight against the strong wooden elements of the tables and homestead. Touches of gold accessories, such as the cutlery and candleholders, offered just the right amount of enhancement, and brought the whole design together.

In the reception space there was a stone courtyard right outside the dining area, which made perfect sense to use for canapés and then later as a dance floor. Our goal was to create a relaxed atmosphere that would invite guests to congregate, interact and eventually get their groove on! We created a living room feel with vintage style chairs and sofas from Borrow and Beau around the courtyard, and accessorised with braziers, tables and blankets to ensure people would stay comfortable relaxing outside as the night grew longer. Festoon lighting in the trees and surrounding the courtyard gave an incredible magical ambience and cast a lovely, gentle glow over the whole atmosphere.

The wedding was a perfect, amazing day, and we are so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with such a great couple who are just lovely, inside and out. The wedding, although a more formal affair, reflected their laid back approach to life and ensured that they and their family and friends would have incredible memories for years to come.